KR100452089B1 - The image resource loading system and method which carries out loading of the object for renewal of a game screen - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An image resource loading system loading an object for updating a game screen and an image resource loading method are provided to assign a relatively higher loading ranking to an object which has to preferably realize a self image, thereby inducing an optimum loading and rendering process. CONSTITUTION: A basic recording space(210) divides a game map into more than one cell, and maintains objects in cell unit. A loading object identifier(220) identifies a cell to be loaded on the basic recording space(210) and an object associated with the cell, when a loading event is generated. A ranking decider(230) assigns a loading ranking to the object associated with the cell according to a predetermined decision standard. A processor(240) loads the object in reference to the assigned loading ranking.

Description

IMAGE RESOURCE LOADING SYSTEM AND METHOD WHICH CARRIES OUT LOADING OF THE OBJECT FOR RENEWAL OF A GAME SCREEN}

The present invention relates to a method for loading an image resource and an image resource loading system, and more particularly, in consideration of the size of an object to be loaded included in a specific cell or whether the object is located within a predetermined field of view. An image resource loading system and an image resource loading method for loading an object for updating a game screen, wherein a loading rank for each object is determined.

In general image implementation processing, image data is loaded in a CPU (central processing unit), and the loaded image data is rendered in a GPU (graphic processing unit). As such, since the GPU can render only loaded image data, the first loaded image is rendered first.

In a conventional resource loading scheme, it is common to determine a loading rank for an object based on a virtual distance between a specific point and an object in the image data. When the specific point is moved, new objects required for rendering are loaded in the order in which the virtual distances are close to each other based on the newly calculated virtual distance between the specific point and the object.

However, even when the recording apparatus records all the image data for the objects constituting the specific virtual space, some objects may not be displayed in the image actually generated by the GPU. For example, in the case of a game, even when a tree object for representing a tree is located close to the position of the player character, when a large building object is located between the player character and the tree object, The tree object may not be visible at all.

In this case, as long as the player character does not move to the back of the building, the GPU does not render the tree object, so the CPU is "not close to the player character even though the tree object is not displayed on the display device." It is far from the tree object but preferentially loads the tree object over the object to be rendered.

That is, according to the prior art, the CPU has a problem in that it is loaded first only because the virtual distance is closer than the object that needs to display an object that does not need to be displayed to the user.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and can be optimally loaded and rendered by assigning a higher loading order to an object to which image implementation should be prioritized for an object to be loaded. An object of the present invention is to provide an image resource loading system and an image resource loading method.

In addition, the image resource loading system and image resource loading to measure the object volume of the object to be occupied on the cell, and to give priority to loading the object with high data throughput by assigning a loading rank to the object according to the size of the measured volume. It is an object to provide a method.

It is also an object of the present invention to determine the field of view using the field of view at the view-point and to prioritize objects with high rendering requirements by giving priority to the loading order of priority relative to objects located within the field of view. The present invention provides an image resource loading system and an image resource loading method for loading a file into a network.

In addition, another object of the present invention, the image resource loading system for measuring the surface area of the object exposed to the player character's field of view, and preferentially load the object of the small area that is shielded by the surface area of the other object from the measured surface area and To provide a way to load image resources.

1 is a view for explaining a schematic operation of the image resource loading system according to the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing an image resource loading system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3A is a view for explaining the determination of the loading rank according to the size of the object according to the present invention, Figure 3b is a view for explaining that the determination of the loading rank is controlled according to the position of the object in the viewing range Drawing.

It is a figure for demonstrating the visual frustum which determines a visual field range in this invention.

3D and 3E are diagrams for explaining the determination of the loading rank according to the area shielded between the objects according to the present invention, and FIG. 3F is such that the determination of the loading rank is controlled according to the distance between the player character and the object. It is a figure for demonstrating what to do.

3G is a flowchart illustrating a process of assigning a loading rank according to each determination criterion according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart specifically illustrating an image resource loading method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of generating a loading event according to a cell change of a player character according to the present invention.

6A is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for determining a loading rank according to the size of an object according to the present invention. 6C is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of determining a loading rank according to the size of an object.

7 is an internal block diagram of a general purpose computer device that may be employed to perform the image resource loading method according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

200: image resource loading system

210: basic recording space 220: loading target identification means

230: ranking means 240: processor means

An image resource loading system for loading an object for updating a game screen according to the present invention for achieving the above object comprises: a basic recording space for dividing a game map into one or more cells, and maintaining the object in units of cells; Is generated, identification means for identifying a cell to be loaded in the basic recording space and an object associated with the cell, and ranking means for assigning a loading rank to an object associated with the cell according to a predetermined criterion; And processor means for performing loading on the object with reference to the assigned loading rank, wherein the ranking means considers the size of the object or whether the object is located within a predetermined viewing range. It is characterized by determining the loading rank.

In addition, an image resource loading method of loading an object for updating a game screen as a technical implementation method for achieving the above object includes the steps of maintaining the object in units of cells in a basic recording space; Identifying a cell to be loaded in the recording space and an object associated with the cell; assigning a loading rank to the identified object according to a predetermined criterion; and referring to the assigned loading rank. And sequentially loading the identified objects, wherein the step of assigning a loading rank to the identified object comprises: the size of the identified object, whether the identified object is located within a field of view of the player character, the player character The screen area of the identified object at the view-point of, Is characterized in that given a loading priority to the identified object in consideration of at least either one criterion of distance between the identified object and the player character.

Hereinafter, an image resource loading system and an image resource loading method will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The term " object " as used continuously in this specification refers to data that is an object to be imaged on a game map on which a game service is made. For example, an object such as a building or a tree having a three-dimensional volume is used. The set of data to be displayed can be represented as an object. For example, the type of data included in the object is used to generate an image by specifying the object, such as location information including depth information, material information including color information, texture information, and light reflection degree, and the like. It covers all possible newsletters.

In addition, the term "object" may be used herein to refer to the object.

For example, in the expression "loading an object", the object means a set of data for generating / displaying a rendering result of a predetermined object, and in the expression "measures the distance between an object and a player character". The object means the object itself. This specification describes whether the object is used in the former sense or the latter meaning so that a person skilled in the art can easily distinguish the object.

That is, the object refers to data for rendering and providing an image to a corresponding gamer.

As used herein, the term "cell" refers to an image region as a virtual unit partition that divides a game map according to a predetermined condition (for example, region, equal area, etc.), and the game progress of the player character. It may be a basic unit that provides various related service data (including an object implemented image). For example, a predetermined game server supporting a game service may be connected to each cell (or a plurality of grouped game cells), and a player character located in a specific cell may receive various services related to game progress from the corresponding game server. It becomes possible.

1 is a view for explaining a schematic operation of the image resource loading system according to the present invention.

The image resource loading system 100 is an apparatus for recognizing an object to be loaded with respect to a predetermined cell and assigning an order in which each of the recognized objects is loaded by predetermined processor means. The image resource loading system 100 loads an object for which image implementation (rendering processing) is required first as a loading order of priority, and makes an optimal loading by determining a later loading order for objects having a relatively low image demand. You can distribute objects in order. The image resource loading system 100 is an RPG game that requires various image implementations of an object according to a cell position of a player character, especially an MMORPG in which a large number of gamers simultaneously play online in a broadband game area. It can be implemented in the terminal means 125 for driving a massively multi-player online role playing game. In this embodiment, the image resource loading system 100 of the present invention is implemented in an online-based RPG game by way of example, but in addition to all the field of image implementation related to data loading for object image implementation to display means. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be applied. In addition, the image resource loading system 100 may be implemented irrespective of the inside or outside of the terminal means 125, but in this embodiment, the predetermined terminal means 125 held by the gamer 120 for convenience of description. An example of loading an object installed inside a cell and included in a predetermined cell will be described.

First, the online game server 110 is connected to the terminal means 125 of the gamers 120 to the communication network 130, and serves to provide game services to the gamers 120 online, game services related to MMORPG It can mean a server. The game service in the online game server 110 is a predetermined game progress data or game patch when the gamer 120 accesses the online game server 110 using the terminal means 125 on which a game related program is installed. It may be transmitted to the terminal means 125, and may be provided through the game-related program driven by the transmitted game progress data or game patch. In addition, the online game server 110 grants gamers 120 control of a predetermined player character in such a game environment, and enables the gamers 120 to control their own player characters. Allow game services to be provided.

The gamer 120 may mean an Internet user who has a terminal means 125 for connecting to the communication network 130 and receives a predetermined game service from an online game server 110 having a predetermined contract relationship. The gamers 120 may control the movement of the player character to move to a specific cell on a vast game map, and may display an image implemented through a predetermined rendering process on an object loaded by the image resource loading system 100 of the present invention. You will be provided.

The terminal means 125 is a device that maintains a connection state with the online game server 110 through a communication network 130 such as the Internet or a telephone line, and enables the online game to be implemented, for example, a personal computer or a handheld computer. , A PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone, a smart phone, and the like having a predetermined memory means and equipped with a predetermined microprocessor is a concept that collectively refers to a terminal having a predetermined computing power.

The image resource loading system 100 determines loading order for an object according to the size of the object to be imaged or whether the object is located within a predetermined field of view in the loading process for the object included in the specific cell. . That is, the image resource loading system 100 plays a role of specifying an object to be implemented as an image as the player character moves in the virtual space. Hereinafter, a detailed configuration of the image resource loading system 200 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

2 is a block diagram showing an image resource loading system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The image resource loading system 200 according to the present invention includes a basic recording space 210, a loading target identifying means 220, a ranking means 230, and a processor means 240.

First, the basic recording space 210 is a logical or physical recording device for dividing a game map, which is a virtual space, into one or more cells and holding objects in units of cells. That is, the basic recording space 210 divides the entire game map in which the game service is made into one or more cells according to a set condition, for example, for each game stage (region), an equal area, a signal processing rate, and the like, and an object included in a specific cell. Is classified and recorded corresponding to the corresponding cell. Accordingly, the image resource loading system 200 can recognize the object to be loaded in the basic recording space 210 quickly and accurately, corresponding to the cell in which the predetermined loading event occurs. As described above, an object means a static object in which an image is implemented in a corresponding cell, and the basic recording space 210 is, for example, the number of polygons constituting the object, coordinate points implemented, Information about color information or texture information about an object may be included, and the information may be used to render the object to generate an image.

The loading object identifying means 220 is an apparatus for identifying a cell to be loaded in the basic recording space 210 and an object associated with the cell when a loading event occurs. Here, the loading event may occur as the player character progressing the game moves in position. That is, when a player character is located on a predetermined cell and approaches a nearby cell within a predetermined distance, it may occur in association with the nearby cell. As such, by loading the image resource for the cell before the gamer 120 enters a predetermined cell, the waiting time until the gamer 120 is provided with the image in the entered cell may be reduced or eliminated. .

The loading object identifying means 220 identifies the object stored as the loading object corresponding to the cell in which the loading event has occurred. According to an embodiment, the loading object identifying means 220 may identify all objects corresponding to the cell as the loading object, and the system may determine a predetermined condition (such as a previously loaded history, etc.) regarding the object of the cell. The object may be identified as a loading target except for some of the objects for which the conditions for maintaining the loading data, etc. are satisfied.

The ranking means 230 is an apparatus for assigning a loading rank to an object associated with a cell according to a predetermined criterion. That is, the ranking means 230 determines the loading order of each object identified as the loading target as described above, and in this embodiment, the size (volume) of the object occupied in the corresponding cell, A loading rank is assigned by considering whether an object is located within a viewing range. Hereinafter, the operation of the ranking means 230 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3E.

3A is a diagram for explaining that the determination of the loading rank is controlled according to the size of an object according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the ranking means 230 measures the volume of the object occupied on the cell as one factor of loading ranking, and allows the loading ranking to be given according to the size of the measured volume. That is, the ranking means 230 determines that the loading order of the object whose volume of the measured object is relatively small compared to the volume of other objects becomes the subordinated priority, and in conjunction with this, delays the image implementation (rendering) of the corresponding object. do. This is to first load and render an object having a large volume in a predetermined cell in which the player character is located.

In the conventional loading method, the loading process is performed based on only the distance, so that a loading request for an object having a large amount of loading data occurs suddenly as the player character moves, causing unstable loading or delayed loading time. According to this problem can be solved. In addition, according to the conventional loading method, as the larger building is later loaded / rendered / displayed as compared to the smaller building, the gamer 120 may experience a sudden screen change. That is, it is unnatural that a large building suddenly appears on the cell after a predetermined time after the gamers 120 enters a specific cell, but according to the present embodiment, the large building is first loaded / rendered / displayed and then the small building. This later loading / rendering / displaying results in less change in the image, which provides gamers 120 with a more natural image.

That is, the ranking means 230 renders the video processor means (eg, GPU) by determining a loading order that is prioritized to an object having a large amount of rendering request data among objects requiring image realization according to the positional movement of the player character. Fluctuations in throughput can be avoided and a stable image implementation can be achieved.

3B is a view for explaining the determination of the loading rank according to the position of the object in the viewing range according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the ranking means 230 determines a viewing range formed using a viewing angle at a predetermined view point, and determines whether an object is located in the determined viewing range. The view-point in this embodiment is determined based on, for example, the position point of the player character who proceeds with the game. The viewing angle and the viewing range thus formed are set to three-dimensional predetermined regions based on the direction in which the player character proceeds (or the gaze direction). That is, the ranking means 230 determines the cell area that can be visually recognized by the player character as the viewing range.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the viewing angle is determined based on the view-point in the cell where the player character is located, and the visual capability information (eg, viewing angle) of the player character based on the direction in which the player character travels. Can be. The visual ability information is a cognitive ability for the game map provided to each player character, and can be recorded in a predetermined character information database by updating the visual ability information differently according to the character characteristics of the character and the improvement of the capability value. Further, according to another embodiment of the present invention, regardless of the visual ability information of the player character, the first viewing range having the same viewing angle is selected to determine the loading rank, and the rendering determined in accordance with the visual ability information for each player character in the rendering process It is also possible to have an image generated in the 2 field of view. That is, the first viewing range used in the loading step and the second viewing range used in the rendering step may be independently selected.

In addition, the ranking means 230 may determine an object included in the field of view from the objects identified as described above, and control the loading position of the line position to be given relatively to the object located within the field of view. This is so that the object to be first provided with the image to the gamers 120 manipulating the player character is loaded first. 3B is a diagram illustrating a case where the field of view of the player character is cut parallel to the cell plane. In FIG. 3B, Object A located outside the field of view of the player character is relatively less urgent to implement an image than Object B located within the field of view, and the loading ranking given to Object A is determined as a lower priority. If the moving direction of the player character is changed so that the object A is located in the field of view of the player character, the ranking determiner 230 may control the object A's loading order to be adjusted upward.

Hereinafter, the process of determining whether the ranking means 230 determines whether a predetermined object belongs to the viewing range will be described in more detail. The field of view may be determined in the form of a view frustum. Here, the visual frustum is a geometric region that defines the portion of the three-dimensional space that should be displayed to the gamers 120 of the player character, for example, in a near plane and a viewpoint close to the three-dimensional pyramid whose view-point is a vertex. It can be a finite area cut into the far far plane. 3C is a diagram illustrating an example of the visual frustum.

As a result, a priority loading order is assigned to an object located in the visual frustum (included in the visual frustum) among the objects included in the cell to be loaded, and is loaded first.

As one method of determining whether an object is included in the visual frustum, bounding volume hierarchies (BVH) may be used. The bounding volume BV is a volume containing a set of objects, and various calculations can be quickly performed by checking the bounding volume before checking the object itself. That is, the ranking means 230 performs a check on the bounding volume before checking the object itself so that the check on the object included in the bounding volume that does not correspond to (or corresponds to) a predetermined condition may be omitted. do.

Such a bounding volume hierarchy may be the most common spatial data structure for real-time rendering of a three-dimensional scene, and objects within a region using the same are structured as hierarchical trees, and 1) a root node having no parent node as a top node. , 2) leaf nodes with real objects, and 3) internal nodes with pointers to child nodes.

The ranking means 230 performs a preorder traversal from the root node so that the bounding volume cross-checks each node and the visual frustum. As a result of the check, when the bounding volume intersects the visual frustum, the traversal continues and the child nodes are examined. If the leaf node intersects, the object of the leaf node is given priority in the loading order.

Of course, when the leaf nodes intersect, it is not guaranteed that all objects included in the leaf node are included in the visual frustum, and it is also possible that only a part of the objects are included in the visual frustum. Therefore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, when the leaf nodes intersect, the ranking means 230 is clipped so that the loading priority is given preferentially to only the objects located in the visual frustum among the objects included in the leaf nodes. Clipping) function can be used. With this clipping function, for example, the ranking means 230 may perform clipping of the object with respect to the top plane, the bottom plane, the left plane, and the right plane of the visual frustum.

When a predetermined bounding volume is completely included in the visual frustum, it is natural that the objects included in the bounding volume are also completely included in the visual frustum, and therefore, all objects included in the bounding volume are given priority in the loading order.

On the other hand, when a predetermined bounding volume exists outside the visual frustum, all objects including the bounding volume also exist outside the visual frustum, so that the object is not given priority in the loading order.

Through the above configuration, the ranking means 230 may determine whether a predetermined object is located within a viewing range determined by the view-point and the moving direction of the player character, and located within the viewing range of the player character. Objects can be given priority to be loaded first.

Meanwhile, FIGS. 3D and 3E are diagrams for explaining determination of a loading rank according to an area shielded between objects according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3D, the ranking determiner 230 identifies the gaze direction of the player character at the view point where the player character is located (S311). This step (S311) is a process for recognizing the gaze direction of the player character that can be changed according to the movement in the game map / cell. The object that the player character is looking at, based on the gaze direction of the player character, that is, an image implementation is required. Identifies the object being

The ranking unit 230 measures the surface area of the object exposed to the view point along the line of sight, and calculates a screen area not shielded by another object among the measured surface areas (S312). That is, the term 'screen area' as used herein refers to the surface area of an object exposed to the user's field of view. The screen area is variable even for the same object. That is, the screen area of the object far from the position of the player character is calculated to be small, and the screen area is calculated to be small even when other objects are located between the player character and the object so that the object is largely obscured.

Meanwhile, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the ranking unit 230 may first determine an object within the determined viewing range, and then calculate a screen area for objects within the viewing range. . Since the screen area where a certain object is exposed to the player character is always zero when the object is located outside the field of view of the player character, the screen area is individually determined for objects located outside the field of view. It does not need to be calculated as '0' and does not give priority loading priority.

The screen area may be, for example, an appearance area that is not covered by an object that is close to the player character in distance, and is not obscured by an object that is close among the surface areas of the object that is far away when the object that is relatively far is shielded. The ranking means 230 in this step S312 calculates the screen area of each object.

In FIG. 3E the buildings A, B and C are shown located within the field of view of the player character. The ranking means 230 calculates the screen areas of the buildings A to C, and assumes that the screen areas are calculated in the order of the building A, the building B, and the building C, respectively.

The ranking means 230 assigns a loading rank to each object according to the calculated screen area, respectively (S313). Therefore, the loading order is given in the order of building A object, building B object, and building C object.

Building B is actually a larger building than Building A, but Building B is largely obscured by Building A, so only part of it is visible to the player character. Therefore, when building B is first generated and displayed to the gamers 120, and then building A is displayed and displayed, the gamers 120 are provided with an unnatural game screen image that is suddenly changed, so that building A is rendered first. It is preferable. Accordingly, the ranking means 230 assigns a loading rank so that the building A object to be rendered first is loaded before the building B object.

Also, comparing building A and building C, although building A is farther away from the player character than building C, the screen area is larger than building A. Therefore, according to the prior art, each object is loaded in order of building C, building A, and building B according to the distance, but according to the present embodiment, each object is loaded in order of building A, building B, and building C having a large screen area. do. Therefore, since the image resource loading system 200 according to the present embodiment performs loading / rendering / displaying in order of the objects that are well visible to the gamers 120, the image resource loading system 200 reduces the sudden change of the displayed image and thus displays the natural image to the gamers. The rendering process can be provided to the 120 and the rendering process can be efficiently performed in that the image data used first is loaded first.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the ranking means 230 may preferentially assign a loading rank to an object that is not covered (unshielded) by another object among objects located within the viewing range. .

If the above-described embodiment calculates the screen area in which each object is exposed to the player character, respectively, and assigns a loading order, the present embodiment determines whether the object is "shielded or not" without calculating the screen area of a given object. Only judges and assigns a loading rank. Therefore, in the loading ranking method according to the present embodiment, since the screen area for each object does not need to be calculated, the amount of calculation in the image resource loading system 200 is not large, and whether or not the object is shielded for the rendering process anyway. Since it should be determined, it is determined whether the shielding of an object is first performed in the loading process, but it is a loading ranking method in which a new calculation process does not occur much compared to the conventional method.

In addition, according to an embodiment, a loading order may be assigned by determining whether the object is “all shielded, partially shielded, or not shielded at all”.

That is, the ranking means 230 prioritizes the loading order in order of a first object that is not shielded at all by another object, a second object which is partially shielded by another object, and a third object whose front surface is shielded by another object. The first object and the second object are given the same priority, the third object is not given priority, the first object is given priority, the second object and the third object are not given priority, etc. Depending on the embodiment, the loading rank may be assigned in various ways. Hereinafter, a specific method for determining whether a given object is shielded by another object will be described by way of example.

As the simplest method, a Z-buffer algorithm (depth buffer algorithm) can be used. The Z-buffer has the same size and shape as the color buffer, and each pixel stores the depth value from the view point to the nearest geometric element. Thus, if the z-value of a given object is less than the value stored in the Z-buffer, it is determined that the object is closer to the view-point, that is, the object corresponds to an object that is not shielded.

However, the occlusion (shielding) check can be easily performed using such a Z-buffer algorithm, but the Z-buffer algorithm is not an excellent algorithm for calculation. For example, if the depth complexity is high, such as looking at 10 spheres arranged in a line along the direction, only one sphere is visible and 9 spheres are hidden. Computation can be significant by having to compare all the z-values for a sphere.

Accordingly, a number of algorithms are known that can perform more efficient occlusion checking. For example, Occlusion Horizon, Shaft Occlusion Culling, Hardware Occlusion Query, Hierarchical Z-Buffering, The HOM algorithm Algorithms may be selected in various ways.

Therefore, according to the present invention, an object that is shielded by another object and an object that is not shielded by another object can be discriminated from among the objects included in the cell, and a loading priority can be given to the non-shielded object first to control the loading to be performed first. .

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the ranking means 230 may determine the loading rank in consideration of the distance between the player character and the object. FIG. 3F is a diagram for explaining determining a loading rank according to a distance between a player character and an object according to the present invention.

First, the ranking means 230 measures the distance between the position of the player character on the game map and the identified object, respectively (S321). This step (S321) is a process of measuring the distance between the player character and the object on the cell in which the player character is located or close to the player character as the game moves.

The ranking means 230 assigns a loading rank to the object according to the measured distance (S322). This step (S322) is a process of assigning a loading rank to an object that is relatively close to the point on the game map where the player character is located. To be determined.

In the above, the process of assigning the loading order of the objects included in the cell according to each criterion has been described. As such, the present invention does not simply load objects included in cells by random ranking, but whether the object is located within the field of view of the player character, the size / shield area of the object, whether the object is shielded, the player character and the object. Considering the distance between them, the higher priority is given to the object to which the image implementation should be prioritized so that the optimal loading and rendering process is induced.

In the present embodiment, the ranking means 230 determines various loading criteria such as the size of the above-described object, whether the object is located within the viewing range, the screen area of the object, the player character and the object for determining the loading rank. Distance, etc.) and one or more determination criteria may be sequentially applied to determine the loading order of the object. A determination process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3G.

In step 331, the loading target identifying means 220 identifies a cell to be loaded and an object included in the cell. In step 332, the ranking means 230 defers the loading of the identified object if the size of the identified object is less than a predetermined value, i.e., assigns a lower priority loading rank.

In the same manner, in steps 333 to 335, the ranking means 230 loads the identified object according to each criterion, i.e. prioritizes the loading rank (step 336), or defers the loading. That is, it is determined whether to give the loading rank of the subordinate order (step 337). According to this embodiment, the ranking means 230 is located within the field of view to the player character among the objects having the predetermined size or more, so that an object close to the player character is loaded first as an object not covered by other objects. can do.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the ranking means 230 determines a loading ranking of the object by assigning a predetermined evaluation index to the determination result according to each determination criterion and summing each evaluation index. For example, when the object is shielded, an evaluation index of 0 is given, and when it is not shielded, an evaluation index of 1 is given.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the ranking means 230 determines the loading rank of the object by adding a predetermined weight to each of the evaluation index according to the determination result and adding them up. That is, the ranking method using the weight allows the ranking of the loading by the ranking means 230 in consideration of all the related criterion, and the loading rank is significantly low due to the low evaluation index according to the specific evaluation criteria. Loss can be prevented and can also be given importance to certain criteria. For example, the evaluation index according to the size of the object may be given a high weight so that even a long distance object may be given a priority loading rank for a large object.

According to the configuration described above, when the loading order of the objects included in the cell is assigned to each of the loadings, the rendering process of the video processor means is stable by first loading the relatively large objects that need to be rendered and implemented as an image first. While being flexibly controlled within, it is possible to obtain the effect of providing the gamers 120 with a naturally changing image.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the processor means 240 is an apparatus for loading an object with reference to the loading rank given by the ranking means 230. That is, the processor means 240 serves to sequentially load the object to be loaded according to the loading order, for example, predetermined graphics memory means (not shown) waiting for image implementation (rendering process) by the video processor means. Accumulate objects that are loaded. The loading rank is determined differently according to each object, and the processor unit 240 compares the loading rank for each object and preferentially loads an object having a relatively high loading rank. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain an effect that stable rendering processing is performed by loading an object for which image implementation is required first as a loading order of priorities.

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the image resource loading system 200 receives updated image resource data from the online game server 110 in real time when a predetermined image resource data update requirement occurs.

For example, in the case of MMORPG, when the player character A destroys a building and the building form is changed, the online game server 110 transmits the change information to the terminal means of the gamer connected to the same map as the player character A in real time. To send. The change information includes information for notifying that the shape of a predetermined object has been changed and information for displaying the changed shape of the object.

Each terminal means receiving the change information updates and records an object associated with the building recorded in the basic recording space 210 in accordance with the change information, so that the building form destroyed to all users connected to the map is recorded. Can be displayed.

As one of the factors that enables the image updating in real time in a plurality of terminal means connected to the online game server 110 as described above, the optimization of the loading / rendering process according to the optimization of the loading order of the object as described above. Can be mentioned.

Hereinafter, in another embodiment of the present invention, the workflow of the image resource loading system 200 will be described in detail.

4 is a flowchart specifically illustrating an image resource loading method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The image resource loading method of the present invention is performed by the image resource loading system 200 described above.

First, the image resource loading system 200 maintains an object in units of cells in the basic recording space 210 (S410). The step S410 is a process of dividing the entire game map into one or more cells, and storing the object to be loaded included in each cell in the basic recording space 210 in correspondence with the corresponding cell. As described above, a cell can be generated by dividing the entire game map into one or more according to a predetermined condition (for example, region, equal area, etc.), and a player located in the cell by a predetermined game server associated with the cell. It may be a basic unit to provide a game service to the gamers 120 of the character.

In addition, when a loading event occurs, the image resource loading system 200 identifies a cell to be loaded in the basic recording space 210 and an object associated with the cell (S420). In operation S420, in response to a loading event generated when a player character moves between cells or when a cell change is predicted in a predetermined future, an object to be loaded in a cell in which the loading event occurs is generated. It is a process of perception. Hereinafter, generation of a loading event will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of generating a loading event according to a cell change of a player character according to the present invention.

First, when the position of the player character on the game map is changed, the image resource loading system 200 determines whether to load additional cells based on the changed position (S510). In step S510, when it is predicted that the player character passes through the boundary between the predetermined cells in consideration of the player character's progress direction, or is expected to pass soon based on the moving speed of the player character, object loading for the changed cell is required. Will be judged.

In addition, when the image resource loading system 200 needs to load additional cells as a result of the determination, the image resource loading system 200 generates a loading event associated with the change of the position of the player character (S520). This step (S520) is a process of generating a loading event to enable a loading process on an object to be newly loaded according to the change of the cell where the player character is located. Thereafter, in response to the loading event, the image resource loading system 200 identifies an object to be loaded in the cell to be changed, and performs a sequential loading process on the identified object based on a predetermined loading rank. do.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the image resource loading system 200 assigns a loading rank to the identified object according to a predetermined criterion (S430). This step (S430) is a process of determining the loading order of the object in consideration of the size of the object or whether the object is located within a predetermined field of view in order to determine the object to be loaded first in association with the order of rendering processing. to be. That is, the image resource loading system 200 in this step S430 may determine the size of the identified object, whether the identified object is located within the player character's field of view, and the screen of the identified object at the view point of the player character. A loading rank is assigned to the identified object in consideration of one or more criteria of determination of the area, or whether the object is shielded at the view-point of the player character, or the distance between the player character and the identified object. Hereinafter, determination of the loading rank will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6C.

6A is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of determining a loading rank according to the size of an object according to the present invention.

First, the image resource loading system 200 measures the volume of the identified object, respectively (S611). This step S611 is a process of calculating a volume occupied by a specific object in a cell, and measuring the size of data to be loaded for each object. For example, the volume of the object counts the total number of polygons constituting the object, and calculates the volume of the object by calculating a unit volume of the polygon and the counted polygon total number.

In addition, the image resource loading system 200 assigns a loading rank to the identified object according to the size of the measured volume (S612). This step (S612) is a process of measuring the volume of the object occupied on the cell as a factor of the load ranking, so that the loading rank is given according to the size of the measured volume. That is, the image resource loading system 200 makes the loading priority determined for the object having a small volume become a priority, and in conjunction with this, the image implementation of the object is delayed.

6B is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of determining a loading rank according to whether an object is located in a field of view according to the present invention.

First, the image resource loading system 200 determines the view point of the player character based on the position of the player character on the game map (S621). This step S621 is a process of specifying a point on the cell where the player character is currently located and determining a virtual line on which the gaze of the player character is formed as a view point.

In addition, the image resource loading system 200 determines a viewing range of the player character based on the view-point, the direction in which the player character progresses, and the visual capability information of the player character (S622). Next, the image resource loading system 200 preferentially assigns a loading priority to the objects located within the viewing range among the identified objects (S623). This step (S623) is a process to give priority to the loading priority for the object located in the field of view of the objects included in the cell. In particular, the image resource loading system 200 in this step (S623) is to identify the object located within the determined field of view, through which the differential loading rank between the object included in the field of view and the object not located is determined. Be sure to Since a detailed determination process of whether a predetermined object is located within the viewing range has already been described in the above embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

6C is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of determining a loading rank according to an exposure area of an object according to the present invention. First, the image resource loading system 200 determines the view point of the player character based on the position of the player character on the game map (S631), and identifies the gaze direction of the player character at the view point (S632). . The steps S631 and S632 determine the gaze of the player character based on the cell point where the player character is located, and the gaze direction of the player character, that is, the player character may change according to the movement in the game map / cell. Identifying the direction in which you are.

In addition, the image resource loading system 200 calculates screen areas of the identified objects exposed to the view-points based on the gaze directions, respectively (S633), and assigns loading ranks to the identified objects according to the screen areas, respectively. (S634). The steps S633 and S634 are processes of calculating screen areas of objects located in the direction of the line of sight of the player character and determining the loading order in order of the screen area sizes.

In addition, instead of calculating the screen area of the object, the image resource loading system 200 may determine whether each object is shielded so that the non-shielded object is loaded before the shielded object. The process of determining whether each object is shielded has been described in detail in the above-described embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the image resource loading system 200 sequentially loads objects with reference to the assigned loading rank (S440). This step S440 is a process of loading an object in a cell to be loaded into a predetermined memory means (a recording area waiting to be accumulated for rendering) according to the determined loading rank.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the loading process for the object is sequentially performed in consideration of the priority to be provided to the gamers 120 of the player character, so that the data to be loaded is distributed and stable loading and rendering processes are performed. This can be done optimally.

Embodiments of the invention include a computer readable medium containing program instructions for performing various computer-implemented operations. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The media may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic-optical media such as floppy disks, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute the same program instructions are included. The medium may be a transmission medium such as an optical or metal wire, a waveguide, or the like including a carrier wave for transmitting a signal specifying a program command, a data structure, or the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

7 is an internal block diagram of a general purpose computer device that may be employed to perform the image resource loading method according to the present invention.

Computer device 700 includes one or more processors 710 connected to a main memory device including random access memory (RAM) 720 and read only memory (ROM) 730. The processor 710 is also called a central processing unit (CPU). As is well known in the art, the ROM 730 serves to transfer data and instructions to the CPU unidirectionally, and the RAM 720 typically transfers data and instructions bidirectionally. Used to. RAM 720 and ROM 730 may include any suitable form of computer readable media. Mass storage 740 is bidirectionally coupled to processor 710 to provide additional data storage capabilities, and may be any of the computer readable recording media described above. The mass storage device 740 is used to store programs, data, and the like, and is typically an auxiliary memory device such as a hard disk which is slower than the main memory device. Certain mass storage devices such as CD ROM 760 may be used. The processor 710 may include one or more input / output interfaces, such as video monitors, trackballs, mice, keyboards, microphones, touchscreen displays, card readers, magnetic or paper tape readers, voice or handwriting readers, joysticks, or other known computer input / output devices. 750 is connected. Finally, the processor 710 may be connected to a wired or wireless communication network through the network interface 770. Through this network connection, the procedure of the method described above can be performed. The apparatus and tools described above are well known to those skilled in the computer hardware and software arts.

The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention.

In addition, the rendering performed by the video processor means of the present invention will be described schematically. Rendering is one of the techniques for generating an image, and rendering may be used to generate a realistic graphic image by representing a three-dimensional texture, such as a change in color and density, for example.

"Real-time rendering" is the rapid creation of images on a computer and is one of the most active areas of user interaction in computer graphics. The speed at which an image is displayed can be measured in frames per second (fps), and it can be called real-time rendering when the image is displayed at a rate of more than 15 frames per second. Conversely, users don't need to speed up image display at more than 75 frames per second.

Real-time rendering is primarily aimed at 1) improving the visual appearance of the object (object) being drawn into the image, and 2) creating and displaying the image at a speed that allows the user to feel the appropriate interactivity. Various techniques for this can be used. In particular, the latter case may be implemented by acceleration algorithms.

For example, real-time rendering defines materials and lights to improve their visual appearance, anti-aliasing, gamma correction, advanced lighting, It uses a technique to improve the image quality by shading.

Real-time rendering may also use texturing as an acceleration algorithm. Texture processing is performed by applying an image onto the surface of the object. Other examples of acceleration algorithms are used in culling and pipeline optimization techniques.

In addition, the image resource loading method according to the present invention can also be regarded as an acceleration technique in that a natural image can be provided to a user while increasing rendering processing speed by optimizing the loading of image resource data (object).

Although the rendering has been described above schematically, techniques that may be used for rendering are not limited thereto. That is, the image resource loading system according to the present invention can perform rendering using all of the conventional rendering techniques as well as newly developed rendering techniques, and even in this case, all of them belong to the scope of the present invention.

Currently, a variety of rendering techniques that can perform rendering are being researched at a high speed, such that "a quality image can be interacted with at a high speed and prevents excessive load on a rendering system." When the same conditions are complementary to each other, the proper technique may be selected by the system designer according to the purpose, specification, and environment of the system.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined not only by the claims below, but also by the equivalents of the claims.

As described above, the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, which can be variously modified and modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Modifications are possible. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should be understood only by the claims set forth below, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof will belong to the scope of the present invention.

As can be seen from the above description, according to the present invention, an optimal loading and rendering process is induced by assigning a higher loading rank to an object to which an image implementation should be prioritized for an object to be loaded. It can provide an image resource loading system and an image resource loading method.

In addition, according to the present invention, by measuring the object volume of the object to be occupied on the cell, the image resource loading to preferentially load the object with a high data throughput by assigning a loading rank to the object according to the size of the measured volume System and image resource loading method can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, the field of view is determined using the viewing angle at the view-point, and an object having a high rendering requirement is preferentially given priority by giving priority to a loading priority relative to an object located within the viewing range. It is possible to provide an image resource loading system and an image resource loading method for loading.

In addition, according to the present invention, there is provided an image resource loading system and an image resource loading method for preferentially loading an object that is not shielded over an object that is shielded in the field of view of the player character.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image resource loading system and an image resource loading method for measuring a surface area of an object exposed to a player character's field of view and loading an object having a large screen area first.

Claims (16)

In the image resource loading system for loading an object for updating the game screen, A basic recording space for dividing a game map into one or more cells and holding an object in units of cells; Loading object identification means for identifying a cell to be loaded in the basic recording space and an object associated with the cell when a loading event occurs; Ranking means for assigning a loading rank to an object associated with the cell according to a predetermined criterion; And Processor means for performing loading on the object with reference to the assigned loading rank Including; And the ranking means determines the loading rank in consideration of the size of the object or whether the object is located within a predetermined field of view. The method of claim 1, The ranking means, Measure the volume of the object occupied on the cell, And assign the loading rank according to the size of the measured volume. The method of claim 1, The ranking means, Determining the viewing range using the viewing angle at a given view-point, An image resource loading system according to claim 1, wherein the loading order of priorities is given priority to an object located within the viewing range. The method of claim 1, The ranking means, Determining the viewing range using the viewing angle at a given view-point; Identifying an object located within the viewing range; And Prioritizing the loading order of priorities to an object that is not shielded by another object as a result of screening by a predetermined occlusion screening method among the identified objects. Image resource loading system, characterized in that for performing. The method according to claim 3 or 4, The view-point is determined based on the position of a player character on the game map, And the viewing angle is determined based on the view point and the visual capability information of the player character on the basis of the moving direction of the player character. The method of claim 1, The ranking means, Identifying the gaze direction of the player character at a given view-point; Calculating a screen area by measuring a surface area of the object exposed to the view point along the line of sight; And Assigning a loading rank to the object according to the calculated screen area Image resource loading system, characterized in that for performing. The method of claim 1, The ranking means, Measuring a distance between a position of a player character on the game map and the identified object, respectively; And Assigning a loading rank to the object according to the measured distance Image resource loading system, characterized in that for performing. The method of claim 1, And the processor means preferentially loads an object having a high loading rank. In the image resource loading system for loading an object for updating the game screen, A basic recording space for dividing a game map into one or more cells and holding an object in units of cells; Loading object identification means for identifying a cell to be loaded in the basic recording space and an object associated with the cell when a loading event occurs; Ranking means for calculating an evaluation index for the identified object and assigning a loading rank to the object based on the calculated evaluation index; And Processor means for performing loading on the object with reference to the assigned loading rank Including; The ranking means for the object is the size of the object, whether the object is located within the field of view of the player character, the screen area of the object at the view point of the player character, or the player character and the object. And calculating the evaluation index in consideration of any criterion of the distance between the image resource loading systems. The method of claim 9, And the ranking means calculates the evaluation index by assigning weights to the determination criteria, respectively. An image resource loading method of loading an object for updating a game screen, Maintaining an object on a cell-by-cell basis in a basic recording space, wherein the cell means the zone when the game map is divided into one or more zones; Identifying a cell to be loaded in the basic recording space and an object associated with the cell when a loading event occurs; Assigning a loading rank to the identified object according to a predetermined criterion; And Sequentially loading the object with reference to the assigned loading rank Including, The step of assigning each of the identified objects a loading rank, The size of the identified object, whether the identified object is located within the field of view of the player character, the screen area of the identified object at the view point of the player character, or between the player character and the identified object And assigning a loading rank to the identified object in consideration of at least one criterion of distance. The method of claim 11, Identifying the object associated with the cell, Determining whether to load an additional cell based on the changed position when the position of the player character on the game map is changed; And If it is determined that loading of the additional cell is necessary, generating the loading event associated with the change of the position of the player character Image resource loading method comprising the. The method of claim 11, The step of assigning each of the identified objects a loading rank, Measuring each volume of the identified object; And Assigning a loading rank to the identified object according to the size of the measured volume, respectively; Image resource loading method comprising the. The method of claim 11, The step of assigning each of the identified objects a loading rank, Determining a view-point of the player character based on the position of the player character on the game map; Determining the viewing range based on the view-point, the heading direction of the player character, and the visual capability information of the player character; And Prioritizing a loading order of priorities to objects located within the field of view among the identified objects Image resource loading method comprising the. The method of claim 11, The step of assigning each of the identified objects a loading rank, Determining a view-point of the player character based on the position of the player character on the game map; Identifying a gaze direction of a player character at the view-point; Calculating screen areas by respectively measuring surface areas of the identified objects exposed to the view-points based on the viewing direction; And Assigning loading ranks to the identified objects according to the screen area, respectively. Image resource loading method comprising the. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of any one of claims 11 to 15.